4 Exercise Drinks, Which is Best?

So you have decided to get in shape. You might be trying to shed extra tyres from around your middle, getting back to fitness for sport or training for an upcoming charity event, you will need to eat and drink right to ensure you get the most from your training.

Often when we begin a new exercise routine, we spend time thinking about eating right and staying hydrated, hoping that this will assist in meeting our goals. The question we are aiming to answer today is, what is good hydration?

Most people think about being hydrated, and instantly go to water. Water is of course one of the essential parts of nutrition, and it is significantly important to maintain optimal water levels before, during and after your workout. But pure water as a liquid for exercise is sometimes not the best thing for you. This is because hydration is less about liquid and more about solute balance.

Solute balance is an essential aspect of your body’s ability to maintain function. It is a term for the levels of water mixed with mineral salts that aid your body in many ways. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium and just some of the essential minerals our bodies need, and these are collectively known as electrolytes. Many of these facilitate neuromuscular function, and a lack of them causes many problems, particularly headaches, cramping and muscle spasms.

So it is important not just to take in water, but also consider replacement of lost electrolytes, to ensure that you feel great after exercise!

This article aims to discuss 4 commonly used drinks for exercising; water, isotonic sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit juice.



1. Water



Is water best for you?

Water is an important aspect of your solute balance as we have already discussed, but can it be used as an effective hydration drink? Well, for the most part, yes. Most of hydration imbalance is caused by sweating, which is 99% water, and therefore, it needs replacing. Water is also calorie free, which if your goal is weight loss, is an important plus point for your diet. If you drink water as you exercise, you will remove feelings of thirst, and generally feel quite good. But water has its downsides, because sweat is about 1% electrolytes. Over time, if you exercise without the additional salts, you will find that you might cramp up, develop dizziness and headaches or feel lethargic. Water can be great before exercise, as it digests quickly, refreshes you and if you have a good balanced diet, has no ill effects on solute balance.

2. Isotonic Drinks

A second option is an isotonic drink, like Lucozade or Gatorade. These drinks are specifically designed for exercise, as they contain about 7g of sugar per 100ml and a small amount of electrolytes. These drinks are marketed as fuelling you during sport, as you need more sugar for energy production. At about 7g per 100ml you can drink these without a key side effect, digestion. Your digestive system requires blood flow to function, and when exercising, this blood is diverted to muscles. If you fill the stomach with a certain amount of food, your stomach cramps up as it doesn’t have the required blood to function. Your stomach requires additional blood when it contains food or a liquid with a higher nutrient content than 7g per 100ml. This means that isotonic drinks provide just enough sugar to help you exercise, but not too much. These drinks are also 94% water, which is very useful for your hydration. The obvious downside with these drinks is that they are expensive and not easily available, but you can make your own at home, with a recipe you can find below. A second issue with these drinks is that if you are trying to lose weight, the extra sugar is not what you want. In that case we have a second recipe that will be great for you below.

3. Energy Drinks

Energy drinks are usually carbonated sweet tasting drinks, available in most supermarkets, and brands like Lucozade and Mountain Dew make them. These are important for exercise, but NEVER during your work out. Firstly, the carbonation is horrible for your stomach to deal with while you are moving around. Exercise can be tough enough without the addition of a gas filled stomach. Secondly, as explained above, too much sugar means that your digestive system needs to work hard, diverted blood from muscles and taking a long time to digest. Energy drinks generally have about 13g of sugar per 100ml, so they are not great for during exercise consumption. They have lower levels of water and less electrolytes than a typical isotonic drink, and are never a sound choice. After exercise they can be great, as they replace used sugar, giving you energy back, and increase insulin levels, making your body anabolic. But make sure you keep energy drink usage to post exercise.

4. Fruit Juices

Is juice the right drink for you?

Fruit juice can always seem like a health alternative to other drinks, but it comes with its own issues. It contains about 10g of sugar per 100ml, which means that your digestive system has to work to use it. It also adds extra calories to your diet that you might not be aware of. Its levels of electrolytes are low, and it doesn't balance your solutes well. It has reduced water levels as well, which may not help your fluid loss replacement. With a bit of home development, juices can be an excellent source of exercise fluids, but you need to make them just right, using the recipes below…

So there you have it, the best drinks depend on your goal and diet. Most people looking to lose weight should use water, with electrolytes and flavouring, a recipe for which is below. An athlete looking for good performance should use an isotonic drink. Try to avoid juices and energy drink as these rarely help during exercise. Think about what you want from your training and remember that you should aim to replace all sweat with fluid intake. You can do this by weighing yourself before a workout, and after, and replacing the difference with drinks. Happy exercise!

FO-OD

Energy Drink 1 – Home Isotonic Drink

Makes 1 litre

500ml Orange Juice

500ml Water

½ tsp salt

Energy Drink 2 – Home Sugar Free Sports Drink for weight loss

Make 1 litre

800ml Water

200ml Sugar Free Cordial of choice (Grapefruit is nice)

½ tsp salt

This recipe works for any concentration of juice as long as its sugar free.

Keep up with the FO-OD blog by following us on Twitter https://twitter.com/foodnutriblog